Evangelion: Double Threat
by TheFirefly17
Summary: Shinji Ikari has been living in Tokyo-3 for 2 years now, awaiting the day he is finally called upon to fight. The Angels finally make thier move, beginning the assault on humanity. With everyone working for thier own interests, can thier world survive? Featuring an expanded cast of characters from around the world, this is AU for Evangelion, mixing ideas from across the franchise.
1. Chapter 1

**Evangelion: Double Threat**

**Chapter 1**

Shinji Ikari hummed absently as he chopped the vegetables, a happy little ditty half-remembered and half-improvised. The song focused him, and his hands moved smoothly in a well-practiced rhythm, a skill he'd honed after long years of practice. There was no tension in his body, the simple act of preparing a meal leaving him feeling relaxed, and his expression serene. Tapping the knife gently to remove any clinging morsels, he lifted the chopping board and slid the ingredients into a wok alongside the already cooking meat.

If asked, Shinji would modestly say his cooking skills were nothing special, and whilst he was no master chef, his calm and patient demeanour had made him a fair hand in the kitchen. His food was simple and healthy, but full of flavour and extremely filling. So much so, it had earned him a reputation as culinary legend amongst his friends and family, and it was unusual for him to have at least one guest at that the dinner table.

This was one of those rare nights, his friends busy with family or homework, his colleagues hard at work down at NERV HQ. Tonight he was cooking just for himself, Misato and PenPen. He looked up at the clock on the wall; Misato was due home any moment now, as her duties as Commander of Tactical Operations didn't keep her overly busy outside of drills and inspection.

His humming drifted slowly into silence as he concentrated on finishing up the dinner and setting the table, and he was just dishing out the three portions as he heard the front door slide open.

"Shinji, I'm home!" Misato's slightly tired, yet always cheerful voice sounded from the hallway.

"Welcome home, Misato-san." He replied, much less exuberantly, though he could not help but smile. Misato had the ability to brighten up any room as if she radiated cheeriness.

The purple-haired and buxom NERV Captain drifted into the kitchen, seemingly led by her nose. She glanced at that table, and with a grin, pounced at Shinji, wrapping an arm around his shoulders to push him down so she could ruffle his hair. It was a habit she'd slowly developed over the two years they'd lived together and one that would probably never cease, no matter how old, or how much taller he was than her.

"Ooh, Shinji. How did I ever live without you?" she crowed.

He chuckled weakly. "Ow. Like a sentient fungus, Misato-san."

"Cheeky!" She teased, wagging a finger at him before flicking his nose.

She relented though, and released him so she could take her seat at the table. PenPen waddled in from the living room at the sound of his owner's voice, and hopped up to his own seat, squawking a greeting to Misato. The penguin also received a ruffling, Misato scratching the feathers on its head in a way that caused the bird to shiver happily. Shinji shook his head, but he remained smiling, fully inoculated to his eccentric surrogate family. Placing the final dish, he took off his apron and sat down. With a chorus of 'Let's Eat" and a long squawk, the trio dug into the meal.

"So how was your day, Miss Misato?" Shinji asked politely.

Sipping from her glass of beer, a much more lady-like way to drink that Shinji had slowly and subtly prodding her into doing, Misato gestured matter-of-factly. "Oh, you know, the usual." She took a bite of bread and continued speaking, another habit Shinji was working on. "Another mountain of paperwork, lunch with Ritsuko, combat drills. Quite boring really."

Smiling, Shinji nodded, ignoring the sight of half chewed bread as she talked. For all her complaints of being bored at NERV, he knew that Misato was fully aware of how important her job really was. If her job ever got exciting, it would mean bad things were happening, and humanity was facing extinction.

Misato's mobile phone ringing made them all jump, and she glared at it for daring to interrupt her during a meal, especially one cooked by Shinji. After a moment she answered it, her tone faintly exasperated and annoyed. As she listened though, her expression slowly changed to one of shock and apprehension. Shinji watched her curiously, was that fear in her eyes? Or was it anger? Both?

"I understand." She said finally, her voice firm and confident. Shinji knew it as her 'Captain Katsuragi' voice. "Myself and the Second Child are enroute." She hung up, standing quickly and donning her uniform jacket. Outside, the raid-sirens began to sound, shortly followed by the hurried footsteps of their neighbours heading to the shelters.

"Miss Misato…?"

She looked at him sat there, suddenly seeing the shy, introverted fourteen year-old she'd met two years previously. She sighed, her expression softening slightly into 'Mother Misato' mode.

"I'm sorry Shinji, but it's time. The Fourth Angel is approaching Tokyo-3. It's time for you to pilot the Evangelion."

/o\

Tokyo-3's buildings were sinking as the city prepared for combat. Flights of VTOL Fighter Jets rocketed over the city, joined by military convoys below, all heading south. With all this, as well as the mass evacuation of the civilian population, the streets were full to the brim with vehicles and rushing pedestrians. Were it not for the drills the city's officials had been required to undergo due to NERV's emergency protocols, the city would be near gridlock.

Thankfully, they had been prepared for this, and Misato was able to push the Alpine to its limits as they headed for the nearest vehicle access tunnel down to the Geofront, a live feed from the MAGI directing her around the traffic. Somewhere along the way a black sedan had joined them, a magnetic light fixed to its roof and a siren helping to clear the way, a Section Two team visible within.

With a white-knuckled grip, Misato flung the blue sports car around another corner, its tyres screeching in protest to the high speeds she subjected them to. The cars radio was tuned into the NERV's main feed, and she grit her teeth, listening intently. The UN and JSSDF forces had engaged the Angel along the coast and now they were dying. Whilst to the untrained ear the feed sounded like a string of unintelligible codenames and unit designations, Misato could hear the frantic attempts to stop the implacable assault of the angel.

It seemed they had fully expected to destroy the thing in the opening salvo, but as powerful as that had been, they just could not defeat the AT-Field with conventional arms. It was a terrible, pointless loss of life.

"Damn you…" she growled, as yet another report of a lost unit was called out. Whether she was cursing the Angel or the arrogant JSSDF Generals wasn't in question, her ire was directed at all of them, including Gendo for being unable to prevent this senseless massacre.

Beside her, Shinji sat listlessly. His mind was a jumble, part of him in denial. Even after two years of training, he hadn't been able to bring himself to believe the reason he was here; to fight the Angels.

He'd convinced himself that it was all a conspiracy. Despite the constant combat training and sync tests, despite the mere existence of the Evangelion and NERV, it wouldn't be needed. He was happy here in Tokyo-3, content with life. He had friends now, had a weird sort of family. Even his father, after long years of separation, was part of his life.

And now something threatened all of it. NERV had supplied them with the image to give Shinji an idea of what his foe truly was, and it only instilled fear in him. The Angel was a monstrous, alien thing that filled the screen of Misato's tablet computer. It was big, so very big.

"I mustn't run away." He muttered, trying to think of all the people depending on him.

Misato glanced at him, and turned down the radio. "Everything's going to be okay Shinji," she said firmly.

He looked up at her, eyes almost blank, looking every bit the lost little boy. It damn near broke her heart. "I believe in you. We all do."

Shinji blinked, visibly shaking himself. He still looked so small, so young, but there was the faintest hint of steel in his eyes, a modicum of resolve he'd inherited from his father. He could save countless lives; he could protect everyone he cared about. He nodded at his guardian.

"Thank you, Misato-san."

She smiled at him reassuringly.

The radio crackled again. _"The escort has arrived, Captain! Compliments of the Commander."_

From a side street, a pair of IFV's appeared, each one emblazoned with the NERV logo. No expense mattered when it came down to getting the pilot down to the geofront. Misato grabbed the radio handset. "Sergeant, what is going on?'"

_"The military is pulling out. They're luring the Angel into the mountains so they can drop an N2 on it!"_

"An N2 mine?" Misato cried.

_"That was my reaction" _the sergeant replied. "_We're here to make sure Shinji gets into the geofront before that happens. Commander wants him nowhere near the blast zone."_

As he spoke, the leading IFV sped forwards, barrelling an abandoned car out of the way with the heavy plough fitted to the front of it. A soldier could be seen leaning out of the top hatch, bellowing at drivers to clear the way with a megaphone. It seemed to work, even moreso than the Section Two vehicles siren, no one wanting to argue with a soldier in a tank, especially one that clearly belonged to NERV.

"Alright then, sergeant," Misato replied. "Get us out of here."

/o\

With the escort's assistance, Misato and Shinji arrived at NERV HQ in good time. The N2 mine had been dropped as they descended down into the geofront. The car train had shook and rattled violently in response to the tremors caused by its detonation. Shinji had yelped, obviously scared having never experienced such an explosion, though even Misato had felt some trepidation, knowing just how much power such a weapon possessed.

The blast knocked out the radio for a few moments, but when the static cleared, the reports of the wounded, but still standing Angel above left them feeling a sense of dread. By the time the train had reached the geofront floor, the UN and JSSDF handed over control of the situation to NERV.

They made good time from there, the escorting NERV soldiers hustling them into the parking garage and then into the headquarters. The entire time the unit kept a ring around Shinji and Misato, watchful even in their home territory.

Silently, Shinji was thankful, despite her time facility, Misato still had trouble negotiating the maze of corridors that made up NERV HQ. He could've led the way easily, but Misato had a habit of surging forward and dragging him along for the ride. By the time she realised they were lost, the teenager was so disorientated he had no idea where they were either.

"You have arrived at your destination," the sergeant said smartly, stepping aside and bowing.

The older man gave Shinji a knowing wink as he walked past, as if he could sense the boys gratefulness. They knew each other well, the sergeant being responsible for a much of the pilot's training.

"Thanks, Jushiro." Misato said, stepping forward and through the doorway. "And don't think I didn't see that."

Jushiro grimaced, even though his eyes sparkled, knowing he would be the practice dummy next time they had training session. He gave Shinji a grin and a thumbs up. "Good luck, kid." Then he stood up straight and saluted. The other soldiers shifted and did the same, either side of the door way.

The teenager looked at the doorway with some trepidation. His heart was beating rapidly, jumping up into his throat. He swallowed and clenched his fists, forcing himself to hold his head high. As he walked forward, he felt like he was going to meet destiny.

The room on the other side of the door way was mostly dark, the dim safety lighting either side of the walkway providing little illumination. His footsteps across the metal floor echoed loudly as he made his way over to where Misato was conversing with Ritsuko Akagi, Head of Project E. Both women looked around as he approached.

"Good, you're here," the blonde scientist said briskly. "The Eva is all ready to go; we're just waiting for the order to mobilise."

Shinji nodded, barely looking at her. He found Ritsuko rather difficult to talk to, she always seemed quite cold and prim even with her best friend, and she carried herself with an air of superiority. It got worse after Misato had accidently let slip that the scientist's relationship with his father was less than professional. She scrutinised him for a second, then shrugged and tapped her computer tablet, causing all the lights in the room to flare up.

Shinji found himself staring face-to-face with Evangelion Unit 01. The walkway they were on allowed them to stand level with the Eva's head, and from its size it was obvious that the unit was several stories tall. Most of it was currently submerged in giant pool of LCL beneath their feet, its arms locked into the very walls as a restraint. He'd seen it many times over the years, but each time was similar to the first.

He felt very small, and very uncomfortable.

It's very existence made Shinji want to turn and run far away, compounded in no small part by the fact that the Evangelion was _alive._ Despite its appearance as a huge, purple clad, humanoid robot, Unit 01 was in fact a cyborg. When he'd first arrived at NERV, Ritsuko had described it as an 'Artificial Human'. To Shinji, it looked like a demon of legend, helped in no small part by the angry looking helmet it wore, complete with a single pointed horn jutting out of its forehead.

It scared him. It scared him more than the idea of the Angels and Third Impact.

"Shinji." A deep male voice echoed throughout the room. Lights came on in the space behind the Eva, revealing a small room. Within it stood a tall, bearded man staring at them from behind tinted spectacles. Gendo Ikari had arrived. There was a moment of silence as father and son stood watching each other. To say they had an odd relationship was an understatement, and it looked as if Gendo was sizing him up.

"This is why I called you here," Gendo said eventually, his voice carrying despite how quietly he spoke. Gendo Ikari did not raise his voice. "You are one of the few with ability. Will you pilot the Eva against the Angel that threatens us?"

"Yes, father." Shinji's voice wavered slightly, but he kept his eyes on the elder Ikari.

Another pause. "Good." He turned to the two women. "Make sure he has been briefed and made aware of the plan."

"Yes sir," Ritsuko replied. "Your plugsuit and A10s are in the locker, Shinji. Go and get ready."

Shinji nodded, glancing one last time at his father, and started towards the changing rooms. Misato caught his eye and gave him a grin.

"Shinji?" Gendo said again as he reached the door. The teenager looked back quizzically; Gendo was giving him one of those weird, piercing stares that were slightly different to his usual glare. After yet another agonising moment of silence, he turned around and started walking away.

"Make me proud."

/o\

_Two Years Previously_

_"The ultimate multi-purpose humanoid decisive weapon developed by humanity. The artificial human, Evangelion. This is Unit-01. It is mankind's final trump card." Ritsuko said dramatically, her arm flung out to indicate the gigantic cyborg._

_"Is this my father's work?" Shinji murmured, utterly bewildered._

_"It is." The reply came, not from Ritsuko, but from someone in the room behind the Evangelion's head. "It's been a while." _

_They all looked up, Gendo Ikari, Commander of NERV, stood there casually with his hands in his pockets. Somehow, even that looked imposing on the man. His face was an implacable mask as he watched Shinji intently._

_ "Father…" Shinji breathed apprehensively. Suddenly, anger blossomed within him, forcing the boy to grit his teeth and look away._

_An uncomfortable silence followed, broken only by Ritsuko. "Shinji Ikari."_

_"Yes?" _

_"You will be the pilot."_

_"I-I…" Shinji stammered. "Father? Why did you bring me here?"_

_"It is as you've been told," the elder Ikari replied, almost dispassionately. "A great enemy is approaching. You will pilot the Evangelion against it."_

_Shinji began to shake. "You want me to fight? Why Dad? Why?"_

_"You must. There is nobody else with the ability."_

_"I don't like it!" Shinji exclaimed, his voice getting louder with every word. His eyes were watering, but he wouldn't cry. He wouldn't. Damn, why was Gendo doing this to him. "All this time Dad! I haven't seen you in three years! And the four before that! And now... now this!"_

_He felt his hands ball into fists, he was so angry. His father had abandoned him for all those years, tossed him aside like a useless hunk of meat. He pulled out the note from his pocket. The one that just read 'Come.' It crumpled in his trembling fingers. He had to say something. He mustn't run away._

_Shinji no longer felt anyone else in the room, only the gigantic presence of the Eva, stood between him and his father. He mustn't run away._

_"I thought you didn't need me!" Shinji shouted. "Why now?"_

_"You were summoned here because you will be required. That is all."_

_Shinji took a deep breath, ready to shout again, but clamped down on it, lowering his head to stare at the ground. He mustn't run away. "Why me?"_

_"Again, it's impossible for anyone else."_

_"This is impossible." Anger crept back into his voice. "I can't do this, it's all too new, there's no way!"_

_"It will be explained."_

_"That's just… I can't!"_

_"You are acting like a child. If you're not going to do this, then you are wasting my time." Gendo said, annoyance clear in his voice. "Go home."_

_Shinji gasped at those last words. He'd thought he was finally going to be reunited with his father, he'd hoped for so much. All those years, despite everything… He mustn't run away, he'd resolved himself to seeing this through._

_"I can't believe you, Dad." Shinji said quietly, still staring at the ground in an effort to hold back the tears. "I thought that you finally wanted me back! I came all this way for that!"_

_Shinji was shouting again, all of the emotion pent up over the years forcing its way out. He looked his father right in the eye as he spoke, and the tears flowed freely. _

_"When mom… when mom died I didn't understand what was going on. And then you sent me away as well. I didn't understand why I lost you both. I didn't know what I'd done wrong. I still don't understand! Why father? Please explain it to me."_

_Gendo just stared, seemingly unaffected by the outburst. Shinji just deflated again._

_"I miss her," Shinji sniffed, wiping at his eyes ineffectually. "I miss her so much, and I barely remember her anymore. It's so horrible, Dad… I feel so alone… I'm all alone. Don't you understand what that's like?"_

_Gendo said nothing, and only those who knew him well would know that he was frowning. Misato tried to step forward, to hold the boy or something, but was stopped by Ritsuko. Neither Ikari noticed, focused as they were on each other. The tension in the air was palpable._

_Eventually Gendo just turned around and started walking away. Shinji fell to his knees, overwhelmed by a fresh wave of tears. Misato finally pushed passed Ritsuko and dropped down beside him, pulling him close and enveloping him in a hug. He looked so small in that moment._

_"Shinji."_

_The boy looked back up to the window. Gendo was nowhere in sight, but his voice could still be heard over the speakers. It almost sounded weary._

_"Return tomorrow. We will have dinner."_

/o\

Misato and Ritsuko entered NERV's command centre together. Arranged across three separate levels based on rank, almost symbolic in its pyramid-like structure, the command centre was almost cavernous, the empty space filled with large set of holographic screens. The Commander had arrived before them, sat high above on the top level of the pyramid watching over the room in his trademarked pose. Sub-Commander Fuyutski was stood just behind him, the old professor looking grim as ever as he watched intently.

At the moment the centre was a flurry of action and sound, technicians relaying updates in an incessant chatter. The main screen showed an image of the fourth angel, once more making its implacable march towards the geofront. Other screens around the room showed various other things; charts and graphs and various other camera angles of the Angel. Most of the right wall was dominated by those monitoring Unit-01 and Shinji's preparations however.

Misato spared a glance aside for the JSSDF generals, who were stood now in the side gallery. The three men looked thoroughly demoralised and ashamed. They'd had the entire resources of their country's military to use, and none of it, not even their most powerful weapon, had provided more than an annoyance to the Angel.

Misato did not envy them. She never wanted to feel that spectacularly useless. Nor did she ever want to know what it was like to lose so many men and women under her command.

She followed Ritsuko over to their station on the second level of the command centre. The senior staff, to their credit, did not look up as they approached, calmly continuing with their work. Ritsuko headed straight over to the only female member of the senior bridge operators, First Lieutenant Maya Ibuki, to begin overseeing Unit-01's preparations.

"Captain?" Gendo said from his seat above.

Misato turned to him. "Yes sir?"

"The JSSDF has handed jurisdiction of this situation over to NERV. We have permission to mobilise the Evangelion. Launch when ready, and destroy the Angel at all costs."

"Affirmative!" Misato replied. She spun around. "Is Shinji ready?"

"Plug insertion has completed!" Maya replied rapidly. "Holding at a stable depth. Psychological contamination within the standard range. Holding. Primary Contacts initiating. Flooding entry plug."

Across the base, Shinji tensed as liquid began to drain into the plug, rapidly filling the small interior. "I hate this part…" he muttered to himself. He reluctantly allowed the LCL to fill his lungs, letting out an undignified sound as he did, an odd mixture of gargle and cough further distorted by the liquid.

"Main power source is connected." Shigeru Aoba reported. "Internal and reserve batteries charged."

"Initiating Secondary Contacts." Maya continued. "Connecting interface. A-10 neural connection nominal. LCL charge is normal."

The walls of plug became a wash of colour and light before Shinji's eyes, finally resolving into a view of the Eva cages. It was almost as if he was suspended above them in mid-air.

"Cognitive morphology is set to Japanese." Ritsuko said. "Opening communication channel."

"Checklist is all clear up to Number 1405. Measuring synapses… Synchronisation rate is 67.3 per cent."

"That's his best yet." Ritsuko noted, impressed. "The improvements to the A-10 interface and plug suit are working nicely."

"Harmonics are all normal. No instabilities."

"Good, we can do this." Ritsuko declared, turning to Misato, who nodded.

"Prepare for launch!" Misato ordered, echoed by Makota Hyuga. The technicians began to disengage the locks holding the Eva restrained. "Are you ready, Shinji?"

"Yes, Captain!" Shinji replied, seemingly calm. The tension he was feeling was clear though, he sat stiffly in his seat and his knuckles were white where he gripped the controls. Beneath the Eva shook as it was carried towards the launch bays.

"This is what we've trained for. Your target is the Fourth Angel, designated Sachiel. You've seen what the Angel is capable of, but be careful; we might not have seen its full capabilities. We can provide fire support, but it's you that has to kill this thing, nothing else can."

"I understand."

"Remember, you must neutralise the AT-field with your own." Ritsuko added. "That is the only way you will be able to hurt it."

"We're placing you within five hundred metres of the Angel." Misato stared at him intently, wishing she could do more to help the boy. "Shinji, be ready."

"Unit-01 is in position." Shigeru declared. "Electromagnetic induction system is ready to fire."

"Launch path is clear. All green." Makoto confirmed.

"All launch preparations complete." Maya finished.

Misato glanced one final time at the commander's podium. Ikari nodded down to her, signalling to continue. There was nothing left to do but believe in Shinji.

"Proceed Katsuragi," he said.

"You're sure we made the right decision here?" Fuyutsuki asked quietly, leaning down slightly.

"I have to be." Ikari replied. "There is no other choice."

Misato stepped forward. "Evangelion Unit-01! Launch!"

With a massive burst of acceleration, Unit-01 was fired up the electromagnetic lift, hundreds of metres from beneath the geofront to the streets of Tokyo-3. In his plug, Shinji groaned, knowing that the pressure would be a lot worse were it not for the shock-absorbing properties of the LCL. Just as suddenly as it started, the Evangelion came to a halt.

"Release final locks!"

Shinji felt the clamps release his, or rather the Eva's, shoulders. The Eva fell forwards into its more natural, slightly hunched posture. Full control of the titan was now his, and he felt a rush of adrenaline fill his veins at the thought of it, but it was clouded by the apprehension and fear he felt. He reached out for the rifle sent up with him, surveying the area.

The lift had taken him up to one of the main streets in the southern district of the city. The sun had set an hour or so previously. The normally bristling night life of Tokyo-3 was missing, the city dark and quiet, looking like a ghost town due to the evacuation.

Dead ahead of him was the reason for it all. A monster, an abomination, the creature they called the Angel. It walked slowly towards him, almost clumsy in its gait, all spindly with too-long arms. Its almost-black skin gave it a silhouette-like appearance, set against the fires of destruction in its wake. Were it not for the bone-like growths sprouting from its body, the avian masks and the large red core, Shinji would've likened it to a shadow given form.

It stopped walking, just a few hundred metres away. It had no visible eyes, but Shinji knew it was watching him. He wondered if it was confused by what it saw before it. Did it feel what he felt?

"Shinji." A holographic screen popped up beside him, showing the other Ikari's bearded face. "For your mother."

The teenager nodded, and bared his teeth at the Angel. He raised the rifle squeezed the trigger, the gun roaring as he opened fire.

He was Shinji Ikari, Second Child and pilot of Unit-01. He yelled the defiance of humanity, and the Evangelion roared with him.

/o\

AN: And there you have it. This fic is actually a work in progress and has been since the beginning of June. As it stands the draft version is twelve chapters long, with thirteen being written as we speak. The version you see here is the refined one, and will be the final version for all to read. If you do wish to read a little more, the draft version of this fic is available on the Spacebattles forums. Do note that this is a very rough version of the fic, and such is subject to changes. It goes without saying that it is full of spoilers of course. If you are having trouble finding it, google currently returns the thread as the top link.

That said, feel free to comment and critique this fic to your full abilities. I won't be offended by bad reviews, and in fact welcome them. Constructive criticism is always nice, as it allows me to improve my skills, giving you a better reading experience in the future.

So, without further ado, enjoy.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Engulfed in a hail of heavy ordnance, each shell comparable to that fired by a battleship's main gun, Sachiel nevertheless did not react. Explosions rocked its body, but as with every other weapon fired at it that day, the Angel just took it, ignoring the inferno that crawled across its flesh. Despite this, Shinji continued firing, burying the Angel in a cloud of smoke. It was a move he'd planned out with Misato, designed to rob the enemy of their sight before attacking them from an unexpected angle. They wanted to keep this battle short.

"_High energy reaction detected!"_

Aoba Shigeru's voice rang out across the radio, giving Shinji just enough warning to react. Mostly by instinct, he quickly dived to the left as Sachiel returned fire. A flash from its eye sockets preceding a thin beam of energy.

The shot sizzled through the air, dispersing the smoke in its wake and boring a hole through the frame of the Eva-catapult. It connected with a building at the end of the street, which seemed to buckle for a split-second before erupting with fire and eerie light. The explosion took with it several more buildings either side, shooting up into the air.

Impossibly, the light formed a crucifix, bright against the night sky, standing hundreds of metres over the city.

/o\

"Armour layer One has suffered heavy damage," someone shouted from below.

"What the fuck?" Misato exclaimed. "How did it do that?"

"I don't know. This is a new ability." Ritsuko replied, sounding both fearful and impressed. She was studying sensor readouts intently. "You've got to remember that this is the first Angel we have actual combat data on. Some function of its AT-Field, a high power laser or plasma beam."

"Can it hurt Shinji?"

"Direct hits will for sure." Ritsuko grimaced, looking at the power readings. "It might even be able puncture his AT-Field..."

/o\

"_You hear that Shinji? Avoid those beams at all costs!_"

"Understood," Shinji replied tensely. He was breathing heavily, eyes wide with fear.

Gulping, he threw the Eva out from behind the building he'd used as shelter, slipping around into the next street and going for the flank. The rifle was abandoned as he charged forward, getting in close with the reasoning that the Angel wouldn't want to hurt itself with those blasts.

Still, it was difficult to be stealthy in something as big as an Evangelion, and the surprise attack did not catch Sachiel off-guard. It turned to greet him, catching Unit-01's punch on its AT-Field. The air flashed with rainbow-coloured light as the fist shattered several layers of the hexagonal shield, stopping the attack mere metres away from the Angel's facemask. Sachiel recoiled from the blow, and Shinji pressed the advantage, launching a volley of punches that shattered layer after layer of the Angel's defences.

The Angel screeched and fell back further from the assault, stumbling and collapsing against a building. It raised its arm in a futile gesture as Shinji pulled back Unit-01's fist, the teenager grinned manically within the plug. Adrenaline rushed through his veins, dispelling the fear he felt earlier. The Angel was nothing! For all its fancy abilities, it had fallen beneath the power of his Evangelion. AT-Field or no, this Angel was about to die.

Then palm of Sachiel's claw-like hand began to glow, and a solid crystalline spear lanced out from within the Angel's arm. It pierced the Eva's fist, burrowing between the fingers and straight up through the arm, exploding out through its elbow.

Shinji screamed.

/o\

"Severe damage to right arm!" Maya cried, anguish clear in her voice.

"Cut the connections." Ritsuko shouted. Warning symbols were blazing across the walls, the wild range of displays lighting up as pain receptors flared and connections snapped.

"Sync rate has dropped 16.4 per cent. Fluctuating. AT-Field has dissipated," Maya relayed, her voice shaky.

"High Energy Reaction!"

"Shinji, move!" Misato cried desperately.

/o\

Something of Misato's shouts made it through the pain, and Unit-01 fell away from the Angel's energy beam, ripping it's now limp right arm off of its skewer. The eye-blast clipped the shoulder pylon, reducing the thick armour to slag, but it was ultimately harmless and flew off into the air.

Shinji forced the Eva to scramble to its feet, backpedalling away from the Angel as it swiped a claw at him. He cradled his arm to his stomach, fighting back the urge to whimper in pain. Even though the synchronisation had been cut, and he knew full well that it hadn't been _his_ arm that was pierced, the phantom pain of the Evangelion's injury was still unbearable.

Sachiel gave chase, sensing the weakness in its foe. The Angel's once spindly arms were pulsing, the biceps expanding as it clawed after him with greater and greater strength. All Shinji could do was to clumsily avoid its attacks, and the Angel lashed out with several more lance strikes each one coming closer and closer to skewering him again.

"_Shinji. You need to fight back!_"

The teenager could not hear Misato's orders, and he continued to back away desperately, blinking through the pain. Every attack seemed to come closer and closer to mutilating him, and the Angel's claws scored deep scratches into the Eva's armour.

Suddenly, he could go back no more. He fell back into a building, smashing through the outer wall, which crumbled under his weight. Embedded within the building, Unit-01 was fully at the mercy of the Angel's advance, and like a juggernaut, Sachiel just did not stop. Its enhanced punch smashed right through Shinji's feebly raised AT-Field and buried the Eva's head in the rubble of the building behind it. Seconds later, its other arm lanced him through the stomach.

/o\

Shinji's scream rang throughout the command centre to the collected gasps of almost everyone present. The scream cut off abruptly as the pilot choked blood into the LCL.

"Massive abdominal damage. Synchronisation graph is fluctuating wildly!" Maya cried.

Ritsuko dove over to the nearest keyboard and started typing furiously. "Stabilise it!"

"No use. The circuits are breaking, it's rejecting the signal!"

Misato turned to Makoto. "What about Shinji?"

"He's alive, but he's on the verge of going into shock," the technician replied.

"Power's spiking, the Eva's going to shut down!" Maya cried.

"Eject the plug!" Misato was beginning to look frantic.

"It's no use, we've lost control."

"No, Shinji's still got control of the Eva," Ritsuko gasped. "He's just in too much pain to do anything with it. Reduce feedback. Release painkillers into the LCL."

"Use the cities defences, drive the Angel back!" Misato ordered. "We need to give him a chance!"

/o\

Machinery whirred, and a battery of nearby cannons locked on, spitting out a volley directly at the Angel. A flight of missiles launched from silos embedded with the mountains behind. The ordnance exploded harmlessly against Sachiel's AT-Field, and with two blinks, the Angel vaporised the offending weapons, once more lighting up the sky with impossible crucifix explosions.

Returning to its prey, Sachiel began to lay punch after punch into the Eva's body. Rubble fell down on it as the building collapsing beneath it, the Eva flinching uselessly with every blow. Armour across the Eva's midsection began to crack and buckle beneath the assault. The scene was a mirror image to the beating Shinji had delivered earlier in the fight, if not more savage.

"_Shinji! Fight back. Fight! Or you will die!_"

Was that his father's voice? He didn't want to die.

_"Shinji, move!_"

Misato… She was pleading with him.

He had to move. He had to fight…

He had to _destroy_ the Angel.

Something snapped. He felt fire rush through him, urging him onwards as the Eva responded to it. Shinji let out a strangled scream that was more primal rage than fear. Unit-01 roared in response eyes flashing with rage, blocking a punch from the Angel by the simple of act of grabbing its arm. He yanked on it, forcing the arm into an odd angle. They strained against each other, and the Angel's arm gave way with an audible snap as the Eva pulled the it close.

Shinji pressed the Eva's demon-like mask up against Sachiel's own avian one.

"Fuck… you…" he growled, reeling back and punching that mask as hard as he could.

The Angel's body snapped back and it screeched, obviously in pain for the first time, stumbling backwards. It's mask had cracked right down the middle.

/o\

"Circuits are realigning! Sync rate as jumped. 72.4 per cent with a 9.2 variation, AT-Field has been deployed!" Maya cried.

Ritsuko stared at the readouts in shock. "Impossible! He's _eroding_ the Angel's AT-Field."

/o\

Shinji was still screaming as he tackled the Angel, smashing it into the building across the street. Once more he was in control of this fight, and he wouldn't make the same mistake twice. He pummelled the Angel down into the building, stomping down hard in addition to his punches.

The Angel raised its arm again, but before it could even think of striking with its lance, Shinji stamped down on its elbow and savagely ripped the offending limb from its socket.

It tried to blast him, but Shinji grabbed its mask his hand and the beam exploded within his grip, contained by the AT-Field and completely ineffectual against the Eva. He punched the now smoking mask again for good measure, then raised his hand up to his non-melted shoulder pylon, which flicked open to reveal the unit's prog-knife. Screaming, he stabbed down at the Angel's core, the blade flaring to life. It dug into the orb instantly, sawing into the tough crystalline structure with a cacophonic roar.

There was a moment where the Angel just lay there limply as Shinji cut into its core. It seemed stunned by the damage Shinji had delivered to its body. Then suddenly, as if finally realising the danger of its impending death, Sachiel screeched, jumping up and twisting weirdly. The prog knife was wrenched from Shinji's hands as the Angel's form became more fluid. It wrapped itself like a snake around the Eva's head, curling into a ball.

Sachiel self-destructed with all the power of a nuclear bomb.

/o\

Silence rang throughout the command centre, and for long moments nothing was shown on the view screens but static and warning signs.

"Signal returning…" Makoto finally murmured. The video feed flickered back onto the screen, skewed and hazy.

Evangelion Unit-01 stood tall in the centre of an ocean of blood and fire.

"The power of the Evangelion," Ritsuko whispered, awestruck. She turned to look back at the Commander, still sat silently at his desk, his expression unreadable. His glasses reflected the flames.

"Shinji…" Misato gasped, fear and relief freezing her to the spot

.

/o\ /o\ /o\

Shinji's eyes opened to an off-white plane. He blinked blearily for at it for moment, confused, then smiled sardonically.

"Hello, old friend," he murmured.

The teenager looked around the room, the hospital suite that was almost like his second home. It was the same as ever, functional, clinically clean and so very white. It was mostly devoid of furniture, which made the large room seem positively cavernous, and the whole thing was pervaded by the ubiquitous smell of disinfectant.

It was all very familiar to him. The Evangelion was a temperamental technology, and over the years he'd suffered many an injury simply trying to get the giant cyborg to follow his commands. Add into this several accidents during his self-defence training and the occasional military exercise; it was rare for the boy to not be sporting at least one bandage at any given time.

He was lucky he supposed, that as an organisation heavily involved with sciences, NERV had some of the best medical technology in the world.

He shuffled about a bit, trying to sit himself up, and gasped as his right arm and stomach burned with sudden pain. He looked down and saw that he was topless aside from thick bandages wrapped tightly around his abdomen. A cast encased his right arm from fingertip to elbow.

Shinji winced, realising his whole body ached in one way or another, and let himself fall back into the pillows. What on earth had happened?

Lying there, puzzled, he concentrated on the last thing he could remember, and like a water from broken dam, the memories flooded in. Shinji gasped as the events of the previous night hit him like a freight train.

The Angel.

The Evangelion.

The pain and the raw, mindless savagery. He'd come so close to dying, then the primal rage of the Eva had flooded his mind and everything became a blur. Blood and fire and screaming.

Such violence...

Shinji choked and threw up over the side of the bed.

/o\ /o\ /o\

At the site of the battle, the recovery operations had lasted through the night and into the following morning. After an unconscious Shinji had been retrieved from the plug, NERV technicians and construction crews had swarmed the area, all of them encased within hazmat suits and protective gear.

Sachiel's attack had been a devastating one, easily comparable to that of a full military assault. The UN and JSSDF forces stationed around Tokyo-3 were decimated. Hulls of battleships lay broken and sinking in the bay, and the shattered and burning wrecks of tanks and aircraft littered the Angel's path towards Tokyo-3.

The city itself had taken its share of damage. Sachiel's destructive gaze had carved great holes deep into the armoured shield over the geofront, melting through concrete and steel. Shinji's counterattack had only worsened the damage; the collateral caused by the battle between titans had ruined a large number of buildings and torn up the streets. The Angel's final death blow was by far worst, carving out great scar in the cityscape. A lake of blood was its legacy, and a reminder of how close it had gotten to destroying them all.

At the centre of it all stood Unit-01. Menacing in its silence, the gigantic cyborg appeared to be glaring at those who saw it, seemingly angered to be robbed of its kill by the Angel's suicide.

Like the city it had fought to protect, the Evangelion was heavily damaged. Its armour was pitted and scarred in numerous places, and deep cracks ran through the abdominal plating. In some places, armour had been completely ripped off, leaving only the basic restraints. Its right arm was a mangled ruin, cored by Sachiel's lance, which had ripped through armour, muscle and bone from finger to elbow.

Were it not for the Evangelion's AT-field, the damage would've been catastrophic, and likely would've destroyed the cyborg totally. Whether by instinct or design, Shinji's synch rate had jumped up close to one hundred percent for a few seconds, enough to project a defensive barrier strong enough to survive the Angel's self-immolation.

Now, hours later, NERV and JSSDF clean-up crews still swarmed the area, crawling through the rubble or circling the still-standing Eva in dinghies and VTOL craft, performing a preliminary decontamination and preparing it for airlift to the nearest access back to the geofront.

Having just arrived to oversee the final recovery, Misato stood alongside Ritsuko at the rubble shore of the newly made lake. Both were similarly clothed in hazmat suits, as were their entourage of Maya Ibuki, Sergeant Jushiro and a pair of NERV soldiers. The group had stepped off of their VTOL transport displaying varying expressions of awe and shock. Even the live video feeds failed to do the scene justice.

"I can't believe the kid had it in him to do something like this." Jushiro said, shifting uncomfortably.

He was fairly close to the young pilot, and the scene just didn't jive with what he knew of Shinji. The teenager was usually just so _gentle_, even when he was intentionally punching something.

"There's got to be something more to it, right Ritsuko?" Misato asked, as she surveyed the area with a set of binoculars.

The scientist looked up from where she was poring over several tablets with Maya. "We're still analysing it, but now we have the data from Unit-01's black-box, we can start working on a hypothesis."

"There's a lot of garbled data though, so it could be a while." Maya added apologetically.

"Current theory is that Shinji experienced a bit of psychological feedback. If so, we will need work to prevent this from happening again in the future. The long term effects could be devastating to Shinji's psyche."

Any reply Misato could make was interrupted by the roar of heavy aircraft engines as the giant bulk of the Eva Air-Carrier hovered into view, heavy duty cables reaching down towards Unit-01. The Operations Director could only frown and watch on.

"So frightening…"she murmured to herself. "So dangerous…"

/o\ /o\ /o\

Gendo Ikari sat in the centre of a dark room, positioned as usual leaning forward on his elbows, his hands clasped just below his nose. Just behind him, Kozo Fuyutsuki stood straight-backed and silent. The two were surrounded by seven holographic monoliths. Each one displayed only a logo and a number, underlined by the words 'Sound Only'.

They represented the members of SEELE, an ancient society. It was a highly secretive organisation, and the number of people who knew of their existence could be counted on one hand. Yet SEELE was responsible for many of the events shaping the world over the past few decades, such was their influence and power. They considered themselves the true masters of NERV and its predecessor, GEHIRN.

"Two years late," said the monolith numbered 03. Its voice was distorted, disguising the speaker further. "We had thought that perhaps you had made a mistake in ordering the appropriation of the third Angel's frozen form, yet it appears the prophesised events still hold true."

"Of course they do," spoke 05. "The scrolls never lie, instrumentality is humanity's destiny. Being in possession of the third Angel works in our favour, the time we have had to study it means we are far more prepared."

"Yet Unit-01 still suffered heavy damage against the fourth." 02 interjected. "This is an unacceptable cost."

"It matters not." 01's voice rumbled, there was menace behind it, even in the simplest of words, enough to quiet the rest of the SEELE council. "There is time enough to make repairs. So long as it can fight the fifth, we can tolerate this minor issue."

"There is no need for concern." Gendo replied. "The repairs will be completed quickly. We will continue with Unit-01's deployment.

"And there are other active Evangelion units available to us, Units 02, 04 and 05 are all awaiting deployment." 01 continued.

Gendo's eye twitched, barely noticeable.

"We are also scouting for a suitable pilot for Unit 03." The fourth monolith added. "Further construction of Evangelion units can progress as planned. We have the groundwork ready for the eight required."

"It is all just a matter of time. Ikari, you will continue to use whatever means you deem necessary to defeat the Angels," said 06. "NERV is yours to command, make use of the Evas available."

"Do not disappoint us." 01 spoke again. "Defeating the Angels is merely the first step. The Human Instrumentality Project must be completed to fulfil Lilith's contract, our ultimate goal for humanity."

Gendo nodded slightly. "Understood, everything will go according to SEELE's scenario."

Nothing further was said, and after a moment, the monoliths began to blink out of existence, leaving the two NERV commanders alone in the dark. The shutters over the windows began to retract, letting light into the office. Gendo exhaled slowly and removed his glasses, pinching at the bridge of his nose. It was a sign of weakness, and one he would permit in front of nobody but his old teacher. Fuyutsuki coughed uncomfortably, then turned to lean against the desk, his legs creaking.

"Can we really do this, Ikari?" The old man crossed his arms, frowning.

"We have to."

Fuyutsuki nodded. "And Unit 04 has a pilot?"

Gendo replaced his glasses and glared at where the first monolith had been. "I doubt it's been long, I'll likely be informed about it later today. With luck, it will be one of the known American trainees."

"Still, a pilot chosen by SEELE? We will have to be careful should they ever need to be brought to Tokyo-3.

"Indeed, but that is easily avoidable. The Americans will be loath to give up their only working Evangelion. For now, we will make do with the other three units. Unit-01 remains our priority."

/o\ /o\ /o\

It was several days before Shinji was allowed to return to his normal day to day life. Even after being discharged from the hospital, he had been forced to remain at home in order to recuperate. His chest and right arm were still bandaged up, but it was mostly for support, and he felt well enough to go back to school.

It was a relief really; being stuck at the apartment had been an odd experience. Whilst Misato seemed busier than ever with her duties at NERV, she had been acting weirdly around him since he had come back, almost distancing herself entirely. She'd been slowly returning to her normal, eccentric behaviour towards the end, but he'd still been glad to be back amongst his friends.

Of course, even that had been anything but simple. When he'd first arrived in Tokyo-3, he'd been a nobody; even the crazy theories concerning a transfer student had been relatively low key for him.

Then came what was now known as the Jet Alone incident. The giant robot had been intended as a rival to NERV's Project-E. Created by Japan Heavy Chemical Industries, it was a more traditional robot, built with supposedly more stable, proven mechanics as opposed to the Evangelion's relatively new biotechnology. It was not meant to be however, as in its first public demonstration, the robot malfunctioned. Set on a collision course with Tokyo-2 with its nuclear reactor set to explode, NERV was forced to deploy Shinji in Unit-01 to delay Jet Alone long enough for Misato to climb aboard to shut it down.

They had been named heroes after that, with the demonstration and subsequent disaster being reported by the media, most of the world knew about the events. It was something that had made Shinji hugely uncomfortable. He just wasn't used to all the attention.

School had amplified that greatly, with Shinji's classmates openly hero-worshipping him. Kensuke Aida in particular had gone crazy over the whole thing, the military-geek following the pilot around and bombarding him with questions about the Eva and Jet Alone.

In the end, Hikari had stepped in as class president to get the students to stop harassing him. She'd also employed Toji as muscle, knocking heads of a few of the more stubborn fans. Somewhere down the line he'd become Shinji's unofficial bodyguard, sparing the pilot from the worst of Kensuke's fanboy-worship.

Two years on, his status as a NERV pilot still caused some level of awe amongst his fellow students, encouraged by his occasional injuries, but generally he was just another student. Sachiel's attack, couple with the rather obvious destruction of a much of the southern portion of the city, had brought the adulations back however. It was no secret that NERV had deployed the Evangelion, and therefore Shinji, once more. As a result, Shinji had spent most of the morning cringing behind his desk whilst Hikari shouted and Toji cracked his knuckles.

He was relieved by the time lunch time came around and he could go hide up on the roof away from the crowds. His three friends joined him, the group enjoying one of Shinji's famous packed lunches. Kensuke did so in sullen silence, having being smacked in the head by Hikari with a rather large textbook.

"Are you sure I can't be a pilot?" Kensuke finally blurted out

"Aida…" warned Hikari, as she reached for her book again.

Shinji chuckled weakly. "It's ok Hikari. I'm sorry, Kensuke, but I don't make the decisions, I'm just a pilot."

"But you could put in a good word for me with your Dad." Kensuke smirked. "Or even Miss Katsuragi…"

That earned him another glare from Hikari, which was enough to distract her from the fact that Toji was suddenly eating with amazing focus. The two boys had been drooling over Misato since they'd met her, though Toji studiously denied it, especially since he and Hikari had started dating.

"It's not up to Misato either." Shinji explained. "And my Dad is way too busy to bother with requests like that."

Kensuke pouted in disappointment, but Hikari looked sympathetic.

"Still not talking properly?" she asked gently.

Shinji shook his head. "We talk, and I see him at least once a week. It's just… awkward. I sometimes wonder if we'll ever recover from spending so much time apart…"

"You will Shinji, I'm sure. It'll just take time. I guess he just doesn't have chance for much, being commander of NERV seems like a full time job."

Shinji nodded slowly, frowning slightly. Toji sighed and punched him lightly in the shoulder.

"Cheer up, Mr Big Shot Hero. So ya Dad's a creepy guy who can't talk ta people? Maybe ya need to drag him outta his office and go do a little father-son bonding?"

"Maybe…"

/o\ /o\ /o\

_Two years previously…_

_Dinner was served in Gendo's office, situated high up in the pyramid of NERV headquarters, where large floor-to-ceiling windows gave a commanding view of the geofront. The room was excessively large and mostly empty apart from Gendo's desk and chair, though an extra dining table had been brought in for them to eat at._

_They were sat in the centre of some odd design on the floor, of which Gendo's desk was at the head. It intrigued Shinji somewhat, but it was much too big to see clearly. He felt uncomfortable trying to study it, as his father seemed to be watching him constantly._

_Dinner had so far been a silent affair, aside from a stifled greeting. Shinji was refusing to look Gendo in the eye, instead focusing on his plate. The boy ate distractedly, pushing the food around his plate more than actually eating it. Every once in a while, he'd steal a glance upward, only to see his father eating rather formally, appearing to frown at his son as if trying to puzzle something out. It was hard to make out much however; the glare from the windows had rendered the elder Ikari as a silhouette._

_About half way through the meal, Gendo suddenly set down his fork. He cleared his throat, and leaned forward on his elbows. _

_"I hear you have moved in with Captain Katsuragi."_

_Shinji blinked at him owlishly. "I-I… Yes, father."_

_"You preferred to not live here in the Geofront?"_

_"I was ok with living alone, father." Shinji looked down. "M-Miss Misato thought it was wrong that someone my age should live alone."_

_"I see."_

_"S-sorry."_

_Gendo shook his head. "It is no concern. Katsuragi is a good woman; she has been a guardian before, to the First Child."_

_"First Child?" Shinji finally looked up, his face questioning._

_"It is how we refer to Evangelion pilots. You are the Second." Gendo explained. _

_"I-I thought you said there was no-one else!" _

_"I did not lie. You _are_ the only one who can pilot Unit-01. We are expecting an attack any day now, and it would take too long to transfer the First Child and her Evangelion to Tokyo-3."_

_"I still don't understand father."_

_"There is nothing to understand. You are the only one with the ability to pilot Unit-01. It is linked to you. If you do no pilot, we are defenceless."_

_Shinji bowed his head once more, seemingly shrinking into himself._

_"You asked me here just to use me," he mumbled._

_"I asked you hear to fulfil your destiny."_

_Silence reigned._

_"…I don't want to talk about this."_

_"You will pilot the Eva, Shinji."_

_"I came because I thought you were finally going to talk about Mom."_

_Gendo remained silent._

_"I don't even have a photo of her. The only thing left is that grave…" Shinji sniffed, giving his father a pleading look. "Please, tell me something about her."_

_Gendo just stared at his son for a long moment, his face a mask. Eventually, Shinji grit his teeth and got up to leave._

_"Your mother loved you very much." Gendo said softly to his back, his voice strained._

_Shinji stopped mid-step, tensing up and shaking slightly._

_"I miss her more than you could know." Gendo continued. "I would do anything to bring her back to me."_

_"W-why did you destroy all of her things then…?"_

_Gendo remained silent again. Shinji spun around to face him, the previous day's anger reappearing._

_"Why is it so hard to talk to me, father?" he shouted._

_Gendo looked up at his son; tears streamed from the boys eyes. He closed his eyes and stood up, his movements deliberate, almost robotic. Slowly, he began to walk back to his desk._

_"Go home, Shinji." _

/o\ /o\ /o\

That night, Shinji decided to cook a special dinner for his guardian. He worked to the best of his abilities, pulling out all the stops to cook a nice spicy curry. It was a favourite of Misato's, something the teenager hoped would fix whatever problem was affecting her and bring her back to normal self. He'd made it extra hot for her too, just the way she liked it, and hoped it was worth the effort of making two separate meals, his own curry much more mild.

Somehow though, it did not seem to be working. Sure, since Misato had returned home, she still greeted him and smiled, but the only conversation was mere small talk. She was enjoying her dinner, washing it down with one of her favourite beers, but it all still lacked her usual exuberance.

Eventually, Shinji just couldn't handle it any more. He could expect such behaviour from his father, with their rather formal and awkward relationship, but not from Misato. She was so much more than just his guardian and commanding officer, she was his best friend. If she was unhappy, it was his duty to try and fix it.

"Miss Misato, have I done something to offend you?" he asked, setting down his fork.

The woman looked up, hand raised and ready to wave off the question, but then she saw his face. Shinji was regarding Misato with a very serious expression, a faint frown creasing his brow, his eyes intense. It was a rare look for him, and she was struck by how mature it made him seem. She dropped her arm and looked down, ashamed.

"No Shinji, you haven't done anything wrong."

"Then why are you suddenly acting different around me? Ever since the attack…"

Misato also set down her fork and regarded him sadly. "The Evangelion has always scared you, hasn't it?"

"Err, y-yeah…" Shinji replied, caught off guard.

"It scares me to." Misato admitted, which surprised him. "But whenever you were in control, it always seemed much less terrifying. It's hard to explain…"

She shook her head, trying to gather her thoughts.

"Then the other day, when the Third Angel attacked..." She went silent.

"What Misato?" Shinji urged, leaning forward, even if he knew the answer.

"You scared me Shinji, you really terrified me. Rits said there was some psychological contamination between you and the Eva. I thought it had infected you, turned you into some bloodthirsty monster. Watching the way Uni-01 tore into the Angel…" She shuddered uncomfortably, leaving out the fact that it'd given her nightmares. "I'm sorry, Shinji. You're my responsibility. I have to send you out there in that thing that you hate so much. This is just the first, we have no idea how many are coming after us. I'm so worried that something will go wrong and you'll die or go insane. Shinji, I…"

The teenager interrupted her tirade, moving around the table to embrace her.

"It's ok Misato," he murmured. "I'm ok."

She leaned into him, head against his chest. "I know, Shinji. I know what the reports said. I'm letting my fear get to me."

They stayed like that for a moment, until Misato pushed him back and stood up. She put her hands on his shoulders, so they were stood eye to eye. She studied him for a moment, an odd look in her eyes.

"I sometimes forget how old you really are," Misato said with a grimace. "I look at you and only see the scared little boy I first met, lost in the outskirts of Tokyo-3. But you aren't, you're quickly becoming a man. Just two years and the tables have turned. Now you're looking after little old me."

Shinji smiled modestly. "You look after me far more than I do you, Miss Misato."

She rolled her eyes at that, the boy was so self-effacing. Misato studied him again, they were leaning in so close that their noses almost touched. Suddenly she grinned and pushed down his shoulders so she could ruffle his hair.

"Look at us, so serious. We're family remember? We don't need these theatrics. Let's finish this amazing dinner and play some video games!"

Shinji looked up at her, grinning right back. Misato's energy was always infectious. He watched as she downed the remainder of her beer with a gasp.

"Let's eat!" she cried.


	3. Chapter 3

In the aftermath of what became known later as the 'First Battle of Tokyo-3', life in the city returned to some basic approximation of normal. Despite the destructive battle that had taken place in the southern districts, there was a general good feeling in the air. Once NERV had deemed the area safe, construction companies had swarmed in, looking to clear the debris and begin rebuilding, thriving as they called for more men to take up work. Despite the mutterings regarding the potential danger of a city that was attacked by a monster, very few people actually moved away, at it seemed as though more people had moved into the steadily growing city.

For Shinji, were it not for his injuries, the hero-worship from his fellow students, and the one day where Dr Akagi managed to pin him down and complain about the damage Unit-01 had suffered, the pilot would've assumed that the Angel had never attacked. Tokyo-3 had a surprising capacity to bounce back, and it was hard not to just get caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

He was also getting a much welcome break. His injuries, coupled with the Eva's repairs, meant that aside from a few sync tests, he barely needed to visit the geofront. Instead, he spent most of his newly free time with his friends. The teenager found it was refreshing to be experiencing something closer to what most people considered a normal life. His only real worry was the idea of trying to bond with his father, and how he would go about it.

Like all good things, it could never last.

His NERV-issued mobile rang during the lunch break, as Shinji watched Hikari yell at Toji for asking to copy her homework, Kensuke laughing at them beside him. The groups antics stopped almost instantly, as they all turned to stare and the device. They understood what it meant, the caller linked to a specific ringtone they had only heard once before, during the Jet Alone incident. Shinji lifted it to his ear with some trepidation; reluctantly answering the call after it had rang several times. The tone, whilst little more than a series of beeps sounded foreboding. He listened for several moments as a NERV communications officer told him he was to make his way to the geofront immediately.

It was quickly made clear why, as the evacuation sirens started to sound just as the call finished. Memories of the last attack flooded his mind, and he struggled to hang up, his hand was shaking so much. Seeing that, Hikari grabbed his hand and squeezed it reassuringly, pressing the button for him as she did.

"Be careful, ok?" She said softly. "We all believe in you." Shinji blinked, nodding at her numbly.

Toji stepped up and wrapped an arm around his neck, putting the shorter boy into a headlock. "Kick its ass! Ok, Ikari?"

Shinji flailed around for a moment, and then managed to wriggle out from under Toji's arm, massaging his neck. Toji just grinned at him. Finally, Kensuke stepped forward, though he seemed to be struggling to find something to say.

"Remember, hit its weak point for massive damage!" he blurted after a moment.

Hikari sighed exasperatedly, but the two boys burst out laughing. Kensuke flushed bright red.

"Thank you, Kensuke." Shinji said, smiling. He took a deep breath. "Thanks, all of you. I'll see you later."

Shinji set off at a run, his friends leaving in the opposite direction as they headed towards the school's shelter. Section Two were already waiting for him when he reached the school gates.

The evacuation of the civilians was a smooth operation, with most of the entire population of Japan's secondary capital able to make their way into the armoured access tunnels within ten minutes or so. It was an often over-looked feat of human ingenuity when set against the backdrop of Tokyo-3 and NERV's technological marvels, but it was by far one of the most important. As a fortress-city, it had to be prepared for any sudden combat situation, and so the safe removal of civilians was of paramount concern.

Within twenty minutes of the confirmation of an Angel sighting, the shelters were full, locked and guarded against attack. As soon as the civilians were clear, the city began its transformation. A full eight districts of buildings and skyscrapers were quickly retracted into the armoured skin of the geofront. In their places, gun and missile emplacements were raised up out of their moorings. Around the outskirts and surrounding areas, camouflaged buildings folded out to reveal huge cannon batteries, and bulkheads opened in the hills, uncovering numerous missile silos.

Spread out amongst it all were more fake buildings emblazoned with the NERV logo. Each housed either an access shaft from the Eva cages, or acted as a resupply point for the Evangelions. They held various Eva-scale weapons and ammunition, or power relays with backup umbilical cables to keep the units in the fight.

Tokyo-3 had entered battle-configuration. It was an arsenal that could repel armies, and it had been was designed to stop things much worse. It was an impressive display, despite the huge damage inflicted by Sachiel's attack. Three weeks had not been enough to facilitate repairs and replacements to the city's defence grid, but it was still more than enough.

The Fifth Angel had appeared much as its predecessor had, suddenly and without warning. It approached the city from the east, attacking Tokyo-3 from the across the ocean. Unlike the fourth, it did not rise from the water, but hovered above the red waves at a somewhat leisurely pace. When the Angel made landfall at Odawara, the sky was filled with death, every weapon that could be brought to bear opened fire.

Yet for all the sheer force of the defensive bombardment, the Angel simply ignored it. The massive bombardment exploded harmlessly against its AT-Field as it fl inexorably closer towards Tokyo-3.

"It's a bit of a waste don't you think?" Makoto said as the bridge crew watched the explosive display.

"It satisfies the diplomats," Misato said, stepping up behind his chair. Makoto jumped, causing the woman to flash a cat-like grin. "It is frustrating to throw away all this ammunition uselessly though."

"The government is demanding that we launch the Eva." Shigeru reported from the side.

"Of course they are…" Misato sighed with annoyance. As if they wouldn't launch the one thing that could stop an Angel. "What's the status on Unit-01?"

"Pilot is in the Eva,we're just checking the connections." Ritsuko replied. Behind her, Maya monitored the activation process, once more reading out her liturgy of updates.

"The Angel?"

"Approaching the city border now. ETA, 3 minutes." Makoto said. The main screen altered to show an aerial map of the city, the angel's predicted path and a timer appearing upon it.

"Move Unit-01 to the launch pads. We'll launch to intercept."

Shinji sat quietly amongst the chaos of NERV's combat preparations, letting his mind drift into nothingness. He breathed slowly, feeling the LCL flowing in and out of his lungs. A jolt brought him back to his senses, and the Eva shook as the support frame holding it began to move towards the launch tubes.

He opened his eyes slowly. As soon as he'd donned his plugsuit, memories of his previous fight against an Angel had filled his mind. Ever since, he'd been fighting to hold back his fear. He wouldn't repeat the mistakes he made against Sachiel. He knew how close he'd come to dying back then.

The memory of the pain he'd suffered was still a vivid scar in his mind. His arm twitched unconsciously.

_"Evangelion is in position."_ He heard Maya say, a familiar voice within the chatter.

_"Shinji, are you ready?"_ Misato's voice.

It took a moment to reply. "Yes Miss Misato."

_"Good. We've designated the Angel 'Shamshel'. We're going to send you up within one of the armoured buildings in its path. Wait for it to get close so you can ambush it and go for the quick kill. Remember that cancelling out its AT-Field is key."_

He swallowed numbly. "Yes Miss Misato."

_"It's rather different to the previous Angel, so we're not sure of its capabilities except that it has some capacity for flight. If the fight gets prolonged, you will need to try and keep it grounded. Exercise extreme caution at all times."_

Dr Akagi's stern voice cut in. _"Shinji, the repairs to Eva's armour weren't quite complete," _the scientist added_. "So we've outfitted Unit-01 with the F-Type gear. It'll slow you down, but it increases your defences quite a bit. With luck, it should help you the edge in close combat."_

Shinji nodded. He'd noticed the extra armour plates covering the Unit-01 as he'd entered the Eva-cages, thick layers of a specially made fortified alloy. It made the gigantic cyborg look a lot more robotic, all heavy plating and hard angles. As soon the sync process had started, he could tell that the Evangelion felt heavier.

_"Do your best Shinji."_ Misato commanded, her tone slipping slightly into that of familial support. _"Launch the Evangelion!"_

He was pressed into his seat by the sudden burst of acceleration. The Evangelion rocketed up the chute at a tremendous speed, driven by powerful electromagnetics. The wild ride came to a stop almost as suddenly as it started. As Misato had said, the lift had deposited him within a building. After a moment, sunlight flooded in, huge armoured shutters opening up in front of him to reveal the Toyko-3 skyline. With a hiss of hydraulics, the final clamps released him.

_"The Angel is advancing down the street to your left."_ Misato said. _"Go, go now!"_

With a shout, Shinji flung Unit-01 out of the building and into the street. He flung his arms up, gesturing as he extended his AT-Field out to meet the Angels own. As the two barriers clashed and pushed against one another, Shinji got his first proper look at the Angel.

For lack of a better word, Shamshel was weird. Whereas Sachiel had possessed a humanoid shape, albeit a rather disproportioned one, the fifth could be described as being rather like an insect or crustacean. It hovered several metres off of the ground, held aloft by unknown means, appearing to simply hang in mid-air. Its main body was a long and cylindrical, the red flesh appearing opaque due to a purple glow emanating from beneath it. Two oddly shaped, stunted arms hung from near the top of this, either side of a cavity, which exposed the creature's spine and rib cage. Attached to the spine were ten segmented legs, constantly moving in a creepy, undulating pattern.

Its 'head' hung down from the top of its main body, a spade-shaped mass that featured eye-like markings. This appeared to be more of a shield, protecting the Angel's core, which was visible just above the Angel's legs. Its true head, a bone mask similar to its predecessor's, was hidden behind this, visible only during flight.

Shinji felt fear mixed with revulsion. This Angel was truly alien in every sense of the word.

For the briefest moment, the air between the two titans warped and shimmered in response to the energies vying against each other. Then two AT-Fields equalised, cancelling each other out and rendering both combatants vulnerable to attack.

As quickly as it was done, the building beside him sprung open to reveal an assault rifle. Shinji grabbed at it, bracing it against his shoulder in a smooth motion. He fired twice, two bursts directed against the Angel's core. The Angel was faster though, and Shamshel shifted to avoid the attack, the bullets only hitting flesh, gouging out gory, burning holes.

The Angel screamed like a wounded animal, a mix of pain and surprise, the sound grating and discordant. Its arms twitched, and only reflex saved Shinji as all of a sudden the Angel lashed out with a pair of energy-wreathed tendrils, grown almost instantly and without warning. The attack ripped through buildings either side, slicing through concrete and steel with ease, barely missing the Evangelion with an attack that would have cut it clean in half.

Shinji stumbled backwards and regained his balance, raising his rifle again and pulling the trigger. Nothing happened however, and the boy looked down in shock to see that the rifle had been cut in half by the Angel's attack. He tossed the remains of his weapon ineffectually at the Angel, even as the tendrils shot out at him in another slashing motion. Unit-01 fell back again, the attack carving burning scars into the plates of the F-Type armour.

What had started out as a textbook ambush had become a fighting rout for Shinji. The tendrils were far more dangerous than anything they'd expected. They never stopped moving, constantly lashing out like whips, able to cut through anything and everything.

Another strike and again he was forced to duck aside quickly, his movements clumsy and frantic as he tried to avoid the unpredictable attacks. Shinji began to panic, doing anything he could to avoid having to experience the same agony he had before. The Angel drifted after him implacably, every missed attack slicing apart buildings and carving up the roads.

With the Angel pushing Unit-01 further and further back from its deployment point, it had only been a matter of time before the power cable being dragged along beneath them got cut by Shamshel's whips. The thick cable sparked as it split, and warning indicators sprang up throughout the cockpit in response to the sudden loss of power. A timer appeared beside the pilot, instantly starting to count down from eight minutes.

_"Power cut,"_ Shigeru reported as the command centre flashed with similar warnings. _"Backup power is active."_

NERV had always struggled with the Evangelion's massive power requirements. Without any sort of internal engines to run them, the Evas relied on umbilical cords supplying power directly from the city's power stations. It was the Eva's biggest weakness; forcing them to rely on the internal battery and a mere five minutes of power should the connection ever be cut. Years of development time had decreased the requirements and attached smaller secondary batteries to the unit's standard A-type armour set. With the F-Type armour possessing its own built-in batteries, further power was available, but overall gain only totalled three minutes.

Shinji's fear grew, and Unit-01 crushed a building as it tripped trying to avoid the whips. He scrambled through the rubble desperately, narrowly avoiding more attacks.

_"Shinji, calm down! It's slower than you,_" Misato said, trying to keep her voice soothing. _"Keep out of range and you're safe. We're sending up another weapon."_

Indicators flashed up to the side of Shinji's vision, a second rifle had been sent up to a munitions point further down the street. Forcing himself to breath, he backpedalled quickly, keeping the Angel in his sights. Shamshel followed menacingly, its whips snaking wildly through the air. Taking the rifle in hand, Shinji shot again, along stream of bullets fired directly at the core.

Even without its AT-Field, the Angel was far from defenceless. It waved its tentacles through the air in front of itself, cutting the bullets clean out of the air. What few made it through impacted against the shield of its 'head', inflicting only minor damage to the Angel's tough flesh.

Rifle in hand, the teenager felt calmer and began to move more deliberately. He backed away further to avoid the Angel's continuing attacks, firing as he went. Its whips sliced through the munitions building as it passed, causing it to erupt as stored ammunition exploded in a chain reaction. Shamshel still continued on, ignoring the burns as much as it did the continued hail of bullets Shinji sent its way. Already, the minor wounds he had caused were beginning to close thanks to the Angel's rapid regenerative abilities.

"I'm never going to kill it like this," Shinji said, dismayed by how little he was hurting the Angel. He was calmer now he could keep out of its range, but Unit-01's power was depleting rapidly, and any umbilical he could reach would be cut up just as easily as the first had been.

"We need to neutralise those energy whips," Misato said. "Any ideas?"

"Nothing." Ritsuko replied, scrutinising what data she'd managed to gather. "The whips are definitely solid, but we're having trouble reading the energy surrounding them. They appear similar to the Fourth Angel's lances though."

Misato glared at the monitors for a second, wishing for some way to allow Shinji to get in close. She stared at the monitors, searching for some weakness. Then, her eyes widened with realisation, and she reached forward to grab at the microphone next to Makoto.

"Shinji!" she shouted down the microphone. "Go for its arms! Rip 'em off!"

The teenager blinked in shock at Misato's declaration. "I can't get close enough for that!"

_"Of course you can! We're disengaging the F-Type so you can move faster and sending up a couple of sonic glaives." _Misato explained in a rather too confident voice. _"Go now."_

There was a hiss, and all over the Eva clamps disengaged. The heavy armour plating of the F-Type armour set fell off of Unit-01, smashing heavily to the ground. Instantly, Shinji felt lighter and more agile, if more exposed to the Angel's attacks. He dropped the rifle along with his armour, and got moving, yet again leading the Angel on a merry little chase across the city, easily able to outpace it.

Another munitions building had folded open revealing a pair of sonic glaives, spear-like weapons that utilised the same technologies as the Evangelion's built-in progressive knives. Shinji grabbed two off of the rack and turned around to face Angel.

_"We're going to provide a distraction, Shinji."_ Misato said. _"Move on my mark only."_

"Okay, Miss Misato."

He was breathing heavily now, large ragged gasps that were a mixture of exertion and fear of being sliced apart by the Angel. Even if they missed his plug, the sympathetic damage would be excruciating. But he had to do it; he was Tokyo-3's only defence. The people of the city, Misato and his friends, his _father_, they all depended on him. He braced and waited for the signal.

To the west, batteries of turrets built like those fitted to battleships, turned to face the Angel. Their barrels erupted with fire, and a hail of shells rocketed towards Shamshel. The fifth was taken by surprise, focused as it was on destroying the Evangelion, and a flurry of explosions impacted against its shell. It screamed again.

The cannons began to reload, but NERV wasn't finished, as the hills erupted with a storm of missiles. This time the Angel was ready, and it turned to intercept them, its energy whips reaching towards the sky.

_"Shinji, attack!"_ Misato ordered. The teenager let out a battle cry and Unit-01 surged forward, gripping one of the glaives like a lance.

The glaive stabbed into the Angel's lower body, just below its legs, cutting deep and splashing the Eva with the Angel's blood. Shamshel reacted quickly, even as it's one tendril cut missiles out of the sky, the second swiped around at its attacker. It cut through the shaft of the glaive, but Shinji ducked below the attack and lashed out with his second weapon.

The blade cut into the Angel's relatively fragile arm, shearing the deadly appendage off. It fell to the ground, and whatever energy had surrounded it dissipated, leaving the tendril inert. Another agonised scream sounded, causing Shinji to grit his teeth.

Ignoring the cannons still gouging chunks into its body, the Angel wrapped its remaining energy whip around Unit-01's leg and lifted the Eva clean off of the ground. With impossible strength, it spun, smashing it's foe through a row of buildings. It spun again, pulling the Eva in an arc through the air and smashing it down hard into the ground. It repeated the motion, lifting and slamming Unit-01 down into the concrete over and over again, gouging out a huge crater. Shinji screamed with every bone-breaking impact.

A final swing saw the Evangelion thrown down the street, where it ended up buried in another building. Dazed and bruised, Shinji coughed painfully as he regained his feet. His ankle burned where the tendril had held him, melting through the armour. Through the clearing dust kicked up by his landing, he could see the Angel giving chase once more.

"I'm running out of time," he gasped. The timer was rapidly approaching his final minute of power. "Miss Misato, I need another distraction!"

Unit-01's shoulder pylon folded open, and Shinji took hold of the prog-knife.

_"What? Shinji, no!"_ she cried, but the Evangelion was already charging. _"Do it! Fire, fire, fire!"_

The shells tore into the Angel, setting its body aflame, but Shamshel was no longer concerned by NERV's attacks. Unit-01 charged straight at it and the remaining tendril shot out to meet it, stabbing straight into its chest and out of its back, missing the plug and core by mere metres.

At the same moment, the progressive knife cut into the Angel's core. Shinji let out a strangled yell, out pushed forwards, driving the knife deeper into the crystalline structure. The Angel withdrew its tentacle, rearing back for another attack and eliciting another gasp of pain from the pilot. Shinji was quicker though, his second knife deploying and withdrawn in a smooth motion that cut a deep gash in Shamshel's remaining arm.

The energy around the tendril stuttered out, somehow disrupted by his attack, and Shinji took advantage of the respite to push harder. The Angel twisted and writhed, seemingly in panic as the knife sawed deeper into its core.

"Die damn you, die!" he growled.

The seconds seemed drawn out, passing sluggishly until finally, the core's inner light died. Fractures spread across its structure like cracked glass, and the Angel's frantic movements stopped. Its body, with nothing to keep it aloft dropped down to the ground heavily. Like a felled tree, it fell back, ripping the knife from the Eva's hands as it went.

Shamshel was defeated.

The timer reached zero and Shinji was plunged into darkness.

Sergeant Jushiro Asari had always been a simple man, dedicating himself to protecting the good in the world. He'd served his country throughout the strife following Second Impact, witnessing some of the worst atrocities mankind had to offer. He'd never let it get to him however, always remaining down to earth, always able to see the good in people. To many under his command he was father figure. Due to this, much to the sergeant's dismay, he had somewhere along the line picked up the moniker 'Uncle Ju', despite only being in his late thirties.

When NERV had decided that it would rather rely on its own armed forces rather than the UN or JSSDF's, Jushiro had been handpicked by Captain Katsuragi. The younger woman had remembered him from her own training days, and chosen him for his leadership and team-building abilities. Despite Tokyo-3's status as a fortress-city designed to repel gigantic alien invaders, Jushiro had jumped at the opportunity to move his family into Japan's second city and its better quality of life.

Since then, he had worked closely alongside Katsuragi to develop and train a close-knit group of commandos. The unit's role was mainly to provide heavy-duty security for high-ranking NERV staff when Section 2 wouldn't be enough. Unofficially, they were NERV's frontline defence against ground-level threats, something Misato had thought the organisation sorely lacked.

Both of them never hoped it would be necessary.

After Shinji Ikari's arrival, the sergeant had gained a new job; training the young pilot to fight. The boy had been a mess when he arrived, small, shy and lost. Seeing how alone he was, 'Uncle Ju' had quickly taken him under his wing, trying to encourage Shinji to open up a bit, as well as teaching the teenager how to defend himself properly.

Now he was seeing the fruits of his labours.

The sergeant had seen the footage of both fights. The sheer power the Evangelion wielded as it traded blows with the monstrous Angels made it all too easy to forget that it was the gentle and modest Shinji Ikari at the controls. He'd heard the boy's screams of pain and fear during each fight and it horrified him to have been part of the pilot's training. Child soldiers had been common during the post-Impact wars, but now?

Like Misato, Jushiro had trouble seeing the young Ikari as the adult he was fast becoming, the boy ever fourteen in his eyes. It pained the soldier to see him sent off to fight, knowing it was impossible for him to take the pilot's place and spare the young such hardship.

Seeing the fallen form of the Fifth Angel made him wonder if he would've been able to fight in Shinji's place however. He'd seen the Evangelion hundreds of times, but seeing the sheer mass of the dead Angel's corpse awed him. The devastation caused by the two titans fighting was unimaginable; it looked like a full military operation and rolled through town.

It took the sergeant a few moments to realise he was staring, before he closed his mouth. Adjusting his helmet, he walked over to join the rest of his squad. They had been sent to protect the technicians recovering the pilot's plug from the now inactive Eva and then escort the boy back to headquarters. They saluted as he approached.

"Quite the sight, eh Sarge?" One of the men, Corporal Tsuramaki said as he approached.

"It's something…" Jushiro allowed.

He looked up to where Unit-01 was stood. Despite being slumped down due to the loss of power, it appeared to still be glaring at the Angel. Against the dwindling light of the setting sun, it looked disturbing. Why they'd had to make it look like a demon he would never understand.

At least he wouldn't have to be here for long, the plug had already ejected from the Eva's back. Above it, a VTOL transport was hovering, trailing heavy cables. Men in hazard suits were crawling over the Eva and attaching the lines so the plug could be lifted to safety.

As they waited, Jushiro had his men form a defensive perimeter around the drop zone. Eventually, the plug was lowered into their midst and technicians ran over to open and drain it.

Shinji Ikari exited the plug coughing and spluttering. He took two shaky steps to the side and promptly threw up, LCL splashing onto the concrete. One of the technicians handed the pilot a towel and a bottle, and he quickly wiped his face and hair.

Jushiro walked over just as Shinji was gargling water from the bottle.

"Still tastes like crap I take it?" He said kindly.

Shinji gave him a wry look. "Yes sir."

"So you still haven't asked Dr. Akagi about flavouring?"

"She'd drown me in it," The pilot looked horrified at the thought. He found the scientist difficult to talk to.

Jushiro handed him a jacket, knowing that the plugsuit not only lacked dignity, but left much to be desired in the keeping warm department also. Shinji thanked him gratefully. Satisfied the boy was alright, or as much as he could be, Jushiro pointed at his waiting 4x4.

"Come on, kid. Let's get you back to HQ."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

With Shamshel lying dead and defeated at the hands of Shinji and Unit-01, the atmosphere within Central Dogma had become much more subdued. The senior staff had left almost as soon as the battle had ended, and slowly, many of the technicians had also left, their jobs complete. Only a few remained in the command centre to compile the combat data and coordinate the clean-up efforts.

Even Maya had left, being dragged off by an excitable Dr Akagi. The recovery of an intact Angel specimen had the scientist practically foaming at the mouth. With the resident female bridge bunny gone, Makoto and Shigeru were alone on the upper bridge.

"_We're have retrieved the second child. Returning to base,_" Sergeant Asari relayed over the radio.

"Roger that sergeant," Shigeru drawled as way of reply.

The long-haired technician was bored, simply waiting for his station to finish compiling and saving the communications records. He could've helped Makoto with the data analysis concerning the Angel, but the other man was oddly protective of his work, and Shigeru didn't want to get in his way. Sighing, he leaned back in his seat, raising his arms in front of him as if holding an imaginary guitar. Humming lightly, he strummed the guitar as if he was playing a few notes.

He played lazily for several minutes, not even really sticking with any one melody, humming randomly. He got so into his imaginary song that when the alarms started blaring, he almost fell out of his chair.

"What's going on?" he shouted, too startled to think straight.

Makoto was already typing furiously, staring at the readouts with disbelief. "Its… Impossible, Pattern Blue re-emerging! Match for the Fifth Angel. It's not dead!"

A low keening wail split the air, inhuman and angry, echoing around the deserted city. Shinji bolted upright from where he was slouching tiredly in the back of Sergeant Asari's 4x4, his exhaustion quickly forgotten. Something about the sound had resonated deep within him on an instinctual level, setting his teeth on edge. He looked around frantically, grabbing at the seat in front of him.

"W-What was that?" he gasped, eyes wide.

Jushiro turned around, frowning. He gave the pilot a reassuring look before turning to the driver.

"Tsuramaki, slow down," he ordered.

With a grunt of affirmation, the corporal ground the 4x4 down to a crawl, before stopping completely. Jushiro stood up in his seat, gripping the vehicle's roll-cage as he peered back down the street. He watched carefully, examining the deserted roads for any signs of a disturbance or sudden attack, but could see nothing. Only the sight of Unit-01's head and shoulders looming above the rooftops looked out of place.

He frowned, confused but wary. After a moment, he looked back down at Shinji and shrugged.

"Probably some malfunctioning alarm in one of the destroyed buildings," he guessed, though he sounded unconvinced even to himself.

Even as he spoke, a huge explosion lit up the evening sky. Smoke and fire appeared in the distance, billowing out from behind the building near the dormant Evangelion. Seconds later, sounds of sporadic gunfire and shouting echoed out from the direction of the recovery site. The three looked at each other in alarm.

"What on earth…" Jushiro began. He grabbed his radio, shouting into it. "What the hell is going on? Report!"

"_Sergeant… The Angel, it's…" _The speaker screamed in agony and the transmission was suddenly cut off. The radio squealed and erupted into static.

"Corporal? Yamashita… respond!" Jushiro cried again, only getting more static in response. He threw it down in frustration. "Fuck!"

Shinji began to shake, his fear evident as he stared at the smoke. He flinched at every scream, feeling utterly defenceless outside of his Eva. Seeing that, Jushiro reached over to squeeze his shoulder reassuringly. The man empathised with the boy. He'd seen the power of the Angels, they were vulnerable without the Evangelion. He feared for the lives of his men, even as the rational side of him told him they were certainly dead.

Beside him, Tsuramaki was checking his rifle was close to hand, double checking his ammunition. The other soldier looked grim. Nodding to acknowledge his subordinates readiness, Jushiro ensured his own rifle was ready. Both men were itching to return and fight alongside their comrades, but they had to remain and do their job. Shinji's survival was paramount. Keeping a wary on the street, Jushiro picked up the radio again.

"Central Dogma, come in. This is Sergeant Jushiro Asari. What the hell is going on?"

Central Dogma had quickly returned to being a hive of motion and sound, technicians scrambling to gather information and call back everyone normally present during an Angel attack. In retrospect, it would be deemed an unacceptable display; that mankind's first and only defence had relaxed so quickly simply because the Angel lay dead.

Barely minutes after the alert had sounded, Misato sprinted back into the command centre, soon followed by Ritsuko and Maya. She ran right up behind Makoto, grabbing the back of his seat. The bridge bunny was focused entirely on his work, not looking up as she approached.

"What's happening?" She asked frantically, staring in disbelief at the various displays.

"Pattern Blue has re-emerged from the Angel's corpse." Makoto replied, a little distractedly. "It's assaulting our teams on the ground. We're struggling to get any more information."

"Impossible…" She frowned. "Get a drone in the air, I want visuals."

"Already on it."

"Shinji?"

"Sergeant Jushiro has him. They're on standby roughly 700 metres from the disturbance," Shigeru replied. "Reporting gunfire and loss of contact with the recovery site."

"If there was an Angel, he'd see it. They aren't exactly small." Misato said, looking around at the scientist. Ritsuko was already typing furiously at the next station, Maya at her side. "Right?"

"There's definitely an AT-Field present. It's interfering with our instruments," the scientist replied.

"Blood pattern seems altered somehow, but it's still a match for the fifth." Maya added.

"I don't care what it is, just prioritise recovery of Unit-01 and the Second Child," Gendo's voice boomed out from above. He had arrived unseen, Fuyutsuki in tow, and had already taken his seat. "Use whatever means necessary until we can regroup."

"JSSDF is demanding to know the situation," Shigeru reported.

"Ignore them. This is still under NERV's jurisdiction," Gendo snapped. "Katsuragi, you've got command."

"Yessir," Misato replied. "Deploy the rest of our defence teams and have them rendezvous with Sergeant Asari. Send a chopper for Shinji, I want him out of there ASAP."

"Drone is in position," Makoto relayed, sending the video up to the main screen. "Link is active."

The image showed them the scene, a ruined portion of the city with Unit-01 stood over Shamshel's corpse, it's plug on the ground. The Angel's core was shattered, leaving a hollow crystalline shell dripping some sort of viscous fluid. All around the area, equipment lay scattered and forgotten as technicians fled the area in panic.

NERV soldiers were scattered around, firing their weapons almost non-stop at something hidden behind the Evangelion's shadow. One of them came sprinting out, only to be caught from behind by something. It killed the man instantly, cutting him two from shoulder to the opposite hip.

"What the fuck is that?" Misato cried.

A final scream signalled the return of silence, and both soldiers shifted uncomfortably, shouldering their rifles to aim back down the street. They'd gotten restless in waiting for the helicopter, and the Sergeant had gotten out the vehicle to walk back down the road a few paces. Even pacing was better than waiting around.

Hearing a sniff, Jushiro looked around at Shinji, still sat in the back of the 4x4, holding a handgun in both hands, pointing it at the floor. He'd given the pilot his sidearm, to use in case of an emergency. Shinji had had some basic firearms training, it had been necessary as a pilot, but Asari doubted the boy's ability to actually use it against an attacker without the Evangelion as a buffer. Still, Shinji had calmed down now, and even if he remained tense and apprehensive, his jaw was set in a quiet determination. Jushiro's heart went out to him, understanding full well what the teenager was feeling.

His ears pricked up as he heard the 4x4's radio garble something, snapping him out of his thoughts. He turned to give Tsuramaki a quizzical look.

The other soldier grabbed the radio. "Command, could you repeat that?"

There was a long burst of static. "…Angel heading your way. I repeat, evacuate the area. The Angel is heading your way."

Jushiro looked around in alarm. "What?"

The silence was broken by the same wail from earlier, much closer this time. Shinji yelped again, raising his gun shakily.

Start the car!" Jushiro ordered, backing closer to the vehicle. Tsuramaki fumbled for a moment, and the engine came to life with a roar.

There was a loud crash and a shop front part way down the street exploded outwards, a huge form barrelling through the debris. Something that could vaguely be compared to a praying mantis slid to a stop in the centre of the street, twitching as it noticed them.

The creature quirked it's head to the side, and despite the blank eye holes of its bone mask, it was undeniably staring directly at Shinji. It took a step forward, then reared and _screamed _at them, mandibles opening wide to reveal wickedly sharp fangs. It was the same unnerving wail they'd heard earlier, dripping with animalistic rage.

The Angel charged, rapidly scuttling towards them on eight skeletal legs. Wheels spinning and kicking up smoke, the 4x4 shot forwards, Jushiro running behind the rapidly accelerating vehicle. With a desperate leap, the soldier dived into the back where he landed heavily beside Shinji. Without waiting, the man twisted about to bring his rifle to bear and opened fire wildly. His shots were ill aimed, sailing through the air or bouncing off of the tarmac, but several shots hit home, ricocheting harmlessly off of the creature's chitin armour.

"Sergeant, it's hurt," Shinji shouted, pointing.

Looking closer, Jushiro could see that the Angel was visibly wounded, its upper torso bleeding heavily from a huge tear that had almost removed its left arm. It was slowly regenerating, but the wound was obviously slowing it down. The rest of its body was covered with bullet wounds, the handiwork of NERV's soldiers.

Proud of his men for doing their best to hold off the Angel's attack, the sergeant aimed again. His next burst was more deliberate, the bullets tearing into the Angel's flank above its legs. It cried out and stumbled, but did not relent.

When he fired again, the Angel leaped to avoid it. It landed on the wall of a building and continued running horizontally, clinging to the wall like a spider. Jushiro fired again, but only succeeded in shattering windows before the Angel pounced at them.

"Tsuramaki!" he yelled.

The driver swerved the vehicle just in time, the Angel's razor sharp claws narrowly missing its target. With a screech of frustration, the stunted wing-like growths on its back split, and a pair of energy whips shot out. Jushiro and Shinji ducked as the tendrils swung at their heads, and they cut through the vehicle's roll cage effortlessly, the severed ends glowing hot.

It swung again, but Tsuramaki threw the vehicle around the next corner to avoid the attack. Taken by surprise by the sudden change in direction, the Angel careened into a wall, giving them valuable breathing space.

Jushiro grabbed the radio. "Command, we're gonna need some backup here."

"I want air-support to their location right now. Have our men set up a kill zone in district 2," Misato ordered, then she turned and grabbed the microphone. "Sergeant, get up onto the overpass and swing back around, lead that thing right to us."

"_Yes, ma'am,_" the sergeant replied, shouting to be heard.

The main screen was showing a live feed of the chase, Makoto doing his best to keep the drone in range. There had been several close calls, Asari's marksmanship and Tsuramaki's expert driving being the only things keeping them alive.

"It won't be enough," Gendo said, unheard by anyone but Fuyutsuki.

The old professor cocked an eyebrow and looked down at his former student. "Ikari?"

"It's tougher than it looks. Just because we can hurt it doesn't mean we can kill it."

Fuyutsuki exhaled, glancing back at the screen. "Then what do you propose?"

Gendo said nothing and continued frowning at the video feed, focusing on the huddled form of his son. Before Fuyutsuki could push the man for an answer, he stood up abruptly.

"I'll leave this to you," he said, walking towards the lift.

"Ikari, what are you doing?" Fuyutsuki demanded, but Gendo only gave him an unreadable look as the lift carried him out of sight. "That man…"

He stepped around the desk and leaned on the low wall surrounding the platform, watching as the Angel pounced at the beleaguered humans again, cutting a chunk out the vehicle's bodywork. The sergeant's rifle blew a sizable hole into its torso, and it fell back, but the wound quickly stopped bleeding, scarring over within seconds.

Kozo found himself glaring at the monster, feeling helpless. With Gendo gone, he was in charge of the situation but all he could do was watch and wait, hoping that the reinforcements could reach them in time. His eyes moved to focus on the form of Shinji, huddled in the back of the 4x4 as he fired wildly at the Angel. The boy was the best of them. He could not be allowed to die like this.

The 4x4 bounced as it hit the access ramp, thoroughly jolting its passengers. Momentarily out of control, it careened into the guard-rail, kicking up sparks in its wake. Tsuramaki wrestled the vehicle back into this control, swerving to avoid another attack. Clinging for dear life, Jushiro fumbled with his rifle, barely keeping his grip.

"Bloody hell, corporal," he yelled.

"I'm doing my best here!" Tsuramaki shouted back.

The Angel was still chasing them, every attack coming closer and closer to killing them all. The back of the vehicle had been rendered into scrap metal by the energy whips, whole chunks of panelling missing. Jushiro had thrown Shinji into the front seat for his own safety.

The creature just kept on coming, ploughing through the every injury the sergeant could inflict. His rifle had blown chunks out of the Angel's flesh, and it shrieked angrily at every wound but barely faltered even once. Growling, the sergeant grabbed a grenade off of his belt and pulled the pin.

"1…2…3…"

He threw the small explosive directly at its masked face. His aim was almost perfect, the grenade bouncing off of the creature's shoulder before detonating with a loud crack. The grenade blew a chunk out of its chest, cracking its mask and tearing off a mandible. Its exoskeleton shattered and a fracture line running from its mouth up to its eye, the Angel _screamed_, stumbling and thrashing about. Yet it still did not relent, despite the horrific wounds, despite the small fires still licking at its charred flesh, the Angel did not stop.

"How do you fucking kill these things?" Jushiro exclaimed.

"The core, smash the core." Shinji cried back.

"I don't see no damn core!"

Shinji winced, his eyes searching the creature's body. "It's usually in the chest…"

Jushiro grit his teeth and fired another burst with his rifle, the Angel skittering aside to avoid them. He threw another grenade, but it had wised to his tricks, and an energy whip batted it aside before it could explode.

It got closer and closer. Tsuramaki was pushing the vehicle to its limits, free to accelerate on a flat stretch of road, but the Angel was still gaining. It pounced again, and this time the leap carried it right alongside the 4x4. A claw lashed out, razor sharp talons scoring deep cuts into the door and shattering the window. Shinji screamed.

"Shoot!" Jushiro bellowed, swinging about and firing on full auto directly into the Angel's flank.

The teenager kept on screaming, but lifted the pistol and fired wildly at the Angel. Bullets tore into the creature, and it screeched in anger. The energy whips whipped back, ready to impale them, but Tsuramaki wrenched at the steering wheel, throwing the 4x4 into the Angel. The impact lifted the creature off of its feet and crushed it against the guardrail.

Tsuramaki pulled them away, the vehicle swerving wildly, then smashed into it again. The Angel wailed in agony, the friction and crushing force of the 4x4 tearing its body to shreds. It thrashed, succeeding only in throwing itself beneath the wheels. The 4x4 bounced over its flailing limbs, collided with the guardrail and skidded dangerously. The soldier fought with it, trying to keep them on the road, but somewhere a tire had blown. Wheels screeching, the vehicle swerved left the jerked hard to the right, ploughing right through the concrete barrier.

"Hold on!" Tsuramaki yelled, and the three braced themselves as they fell towards the street below.

The 4x4 plummeted like a stone through a cloud of concrete dust. It landed heavily, the suspension tearing itself apart in an effort to absorb the impact. Jushiro was thrown off, and he hit the tarmac rolling. The 4x4 continued, carried by its momentum and smashed through a shop front, spraying glass and stone everywhere.

The world seemed to pour back into focus slowly, welling up like water flowing up through the ground. Sound was muted, drowned out but as his senses returned, Jushiro realised he could hear a loud roaring. Through the fog and the pain that every inch of his body seemed to possess, he managed to lift his head enough to a VTOL gunship hovering above. Its guns were firing at something out of sight, tracking side to side wildly. Loud and angry screeches emanating from above told him all he needed to know.

He looked over towards the 4x4, where it lay buried in a clothing store, engine ticking over as it finally gave in to the stresses of the chase. He could just about see the heads of both Shinji and Corporal Tsuramaki, slumped down and unmoving. Hoping they were merely unconscious, the soldier began to crawl groggily towards the vehicle.

Another screech sounded out, louder and closer than before. Jushiro rolled over in time to see the Angel, its body bleeding from dozens of large calibre bullet wounds, leap from the bridge at the gunship.

The pilot reacted quickly, pulling up and away, but a tendril flashed out and got hold of the machine. The Angel swung and pulled itself up, using its claws to latch onto the side of the gunship. Suddenly desperate, the pilot began to juke the gunship back and forth to try and shake it off. Ultimately it was all was all for nothing, the Angel climbed across the hull of the ship, crawling up towards the aircraft's nose. With chilling finality, the Angel's tendrils drew back and stabbed straight through the cockpit.

It let go, dropping down to the street as the gunship spun out of control, clipping the side of the highway as it plummeted down to the ground. It crashed into the tarmac, ripping the road apart as it rolled, panels and shredded metal flying off. As it rolled to halt it exploded into a boiling fireball. Jushiro curled up, covering his head as shrapnel shot everywhere.

The skittering sound of the Angel moving again had him look up to see it heading straight for the crashed 4x4. Fear rushing through him, Jushiro looked around desperately for a weapon, spotting his rifle just a few paces away. With immense effort, the battered soldier threw himself towards the weapon.

The soldier struggled to his feet. "Hey, ugly," he growled, and opened fire.

The Angel screamed at him, backing away as the bullets tore into the still-healing wounds it had sustained from the gunship. The sergeant pressed forward, firing burst after burst at the creature, forcing it back away from the 4x4. He knew it couldn't kill it, only that he had to hold it off long enough for backup to arrive.

The rifle clicked empty.

"Shit…" Jushiro reached for a new magazine, only to find his pockets empty, he'd used them all during the chase. His sidearm was gone, still in the 4x4 with Shinji. Panicking, he started to drop back, grabbing his last grenade with one hand and unsheathing his combat knife in the other.

An energy tendril plunged through his gut.

He choked, and lost the grip on his knife as his body was wracked with sheer agony, the tendril a spear of _fire_ burning through his stomach. With a roar of defiance, he raised the grenade to pull its pin.

The Angel's second tendril took off his hand.

It stared at him for a second, unnerving with its blank stare. Then it lifted him off of the ground and flung him aside almost dismissively. Jushiro flew through the air like a ragdoll, landing heavily against a telephone pole. The soldier slumped down, his eyes wide with shock. He could feel his strength ebbing away with every heartbeat, his vision hazing over with grey and red. He watched helplessly as the Angel turned back towards its prey.

Through the fog he felt a small hand rest lightly on his shoulder. He coughed and tried to look up, seeing a figure clad all in black walk past him. They appeared to be wearing armoured motorcycle leathers and a helmet, fully covering up any features that would give any clue to who they were. He tried to cry out, to warn them to run, that it was dangerous, but he barely had the strength to keep his eyes open.

The Angel seemed to sense their approach, turning back to glare at them as it skittered about, its tendrils flicking back and forth. Everything about it seemed to convey a sense of caution and uncertainty.

Without warning, the person charged forwards quick as a whip, running directly at the Angel. They moved like a gymnast, sliding lightly under an energy whip and flipping gracefully over the second. Inside the Angel's defences, they jumped impossibly high and _punched_ the creature right in the face. Fragments of bone mask fell to the ground as the blow snapped the Angel's head back. It recovered quickly though, and a swipe of razor sharp claws batted the person aside, drawing blood.

Like a cat they landed on their feet, almost instantly moving forwards on the attack again. A wild mid-air tumble allowed them to just barely avoid being impaled, the tendril instead drawing a bloody line across their back. They jumped again, using the Angel's own leg as a springboard to leap higher, climbing up and onto its shoulders. The Angel bucked, trying to dislodge its attacker. It reached up to swipe at them, and they calmly leaned back, the claws only cutting through air. Crouched on its shoulders, the helmeted warrior wrapped their arms around the creature's head, and with an odd calm, _pulled._

With the sound of tearing flesh and cracking bones, the Angel's head was torn clean off. Its body instantly convulsed with shock, flailing around in its death throes and forcing its killer to jump down. They stood and watched dispassionately as the Angel's body slowly dropped to the ground twitching, all the while holding the severed head like a trophy.

As the sound of approaching sirens and engines filled the air, Jushiro's last sight before the blackness claimed him was the figure walking away, the Angel's head still gripped in one hand..


End file.
